What I've Been Looking For
by Sally B. Mcgill
Summary: When Charlotte met the ever mysterious Henry Hart in a slow afternoon in detention, she had no notion at the time that she was meeting a cherished hero who had previously saved her life and her future best friend (or more). An AU with OOC characters because of different scenarios. Also includes Jasper and Charlotte friendship and possible Chenery.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Henry Danger is one of my guilty pleasures, even though I haven't watched as many episodes as I would like to have. I love Ray and Henry, the two are like Jay and Manny from Modern Family or a parody version of Mac and Jack from Macgyver 2016 reboot. After reading a few fanfics from the sections that I decided to work on my own version of Henry Danger. This one is more serious, about Henry having his hypermobility and severe training and has deliberately isolated himself from other people.**

 **Disclaimer: Don't own Henry Danger or any characters. Enjoy!**

What I've Been Looking For

Chapter 1. First Rescue

…

All Charlotte Bolton had wanted was a beautiful day at the mall full of casual window shopping and people watching. It was sort of a routine thing for her on weekends when her mom was doing her job at the police station, and her dad was sleeping off his graveyard shift at the hospital. The girl would go out to the mall or library and glance at all the new things stationed there and the people that were shopping that day. Never really buying anything.

She wasn't being a cheap shank or anything. The girl had plenty of allowances saved up to spend should she ever want to. It was more that the trips she made to the shopping place were her way of being alone without actually being alone and it seemed purchasing useless things she didn't really need or want, despite how irrational and shocking it would sound to any other teen, ruined that.

The girl would have asked her best friend Jasper Dunlop to hang with her or even have gone to his house, but he tended to spend his weekends with his two favorite things: his mom and his buckets. Not that he was public about that now like he had been in middle school. It was their little secret, and the rest of their schoolmates saw what he portrayed himself to be. A pretty impressive kid who was more than a bit of easy on the eyes. Not that Charlotte had ever thought of him that way, but she wasn't deaf or blind. She heard what girls whispered to each other about her best friend, and she could see the transformation Jasper took from mega geek to one of the most crushed on boys. Like number seven on the top ten if there was a list.

Anyway, that particular day the mall had gained a one of a kind item that was set to be won through a raffle. It was called a Rodex, a revolutionary device meant to be your own personal AI that was rumored to have hacked into NSA. Charlotte doubted it was all that great considering it was basically being given away at the mall, but the rest of the City of Swellview naturally bought it if the increased number of people around was anything to go by.

She made it a personal mission in life not to get involved in things not really worth her time. So, of course, she took no part in the raffle and was somewhat astounded at the naivety of the citizens in town. The vast abundance of people was also not ideal, but still, she wasn't going to let the new large crowd of people ruin her day. She was determined to relax that day, no matter what.

So you could probably understand how pissed she became when the elevator she had been riding to the top was high jacked by a supervillain who had hacked into the mall's security system. Well, of course at the time she had been scared out of her life but later, when she had time to look back on the experience, she had been majorly irritated.

It had happened quite suddenly. One moment the brown-skinned girl had been riding the mall elevator with an elderly lady leaning heavily on a gold-encrusted tip can and a father with his wife and his two toddler sons, the next the elevator had jerked to a halt, nearly sending everyone inside to the floor. Charlotte hadn't been too worried at first, having figured there was some malfunction in the system or that the operator had stopped the shaft because he thought there was a problem. Then, the distinct opera music that had been playing had abruptly cut off and a disembodied, deep voice blasted eerily through the loudspeakers.

"All staff and visitors to this fine establishment, this is Hacker M speaking. That's 'THE HACKER M', yes, the one that to this day has still managed to evade and escape from Captain Man and Kid Danger. I have currently immobilized the main elevator, which is now basically on the fourth floor, the second highest level in the mall and housing six passengers. If you don't surrender the most recent addition to this place, the Rodex, to the masked man stationed in the security room, I will make it fall down to the first floor without any control, brutally killing the people inside. If you don't want their blood on your hands, the owner of the mall will comply and deliver the device to me personally. You have twenty minutes and if anyone makes a move to apprehend me before I get what I want, death will be absolute." After the mysterious person finished talking, the opera music came back, but it wasn't as soothing as before now that a death threat came with it.

Charlotte could distinctly hear sounds of panic from outside the elevator, people pushing and rushing out of the mall if the fact the sounds were gradually getting quietly was any indication. Inside, the husband was attempting to control his hysterics while crouching down and hugging his wife and children to him. The old woman was keeping a shaking hand over her chest and panting, seeming one scare away from a heart attack.

As for Charlotte, all she could do was stare at the elevator doors in what could only be numb shock. She didn't think her life would be over today of all days. Not that this day in particular was anything special or even a holiday. What it really came down to was the fact that it was a regular, normal day. It had started the way any of them did, her sleeping a little past her alarm, having soggy oatmeal for breakfast, her ignoring the familiar stab of loneliness as she left her quiet house to hang out at the mall.

She had no delusions that Hacker M wouldn't do away with them once he had gotten what he wanted. The fact that he was using innocent people in an elevator as leverage spoke largely of his character. They all weren't walking away today.

And there was so much she had never gotten to do. She was only sixteen and in the tenth grade for crying out loud! She would never graduate or see what college is like. She never made friends with a real girl that she could gossip or giggle with (not that she would ever do that, but the point still stood!) She never had a crush or even kissed a boy and now she never would.

Charlotte was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she almost didn't hear the humming coming from above them. Unsure if it was the Hacker was dropping them earlier than he had vowed, the occupants watched the ceiling with fear as they heard something happening inside. After a few moments, there was a clanking sound and then the top of the shaft opened to reveal the person rescuing them.

"Kid Danger!" Charlotte yelled, pure relief in her voice as she stared up at Captain Man's super powered sidekick. The people beside her began to clamor with gratitude and excitement.

Charlotte could feel the sureness that she would survive to see Sunday over take her. Kid Danger and Captain Man had never failed to save those in need, especially at their own expense. And since the day the blonde sidekick had gained super speed (or hyper mobility, as he told the reporter on TV news), he had been even better at fighting crime faster and doing what he did best: making sure those at the mercy of the villains' wrath turned out well .

They were even better than the police, which didn't sit well with her mom, but even she could appreciate how much then heroic twosome helped Swellview. Despite the occasional damage to properties and stores.

"Shhh," the kid said, promptly silencing anyone. "We don't have a lot of time. Captain Man is working to apprehend Hacker M, but in case that doesn't work, I'm getting you out before the elevator falls. It has to be one at a time though. And we all have to work fast and with me, okay?"

The first to go were the toddlers, as they were small enough not to weigh much and be easily carried to the next floor. Then it was the elderly woman, who was trying very hard to get her breathing in check. Next was the mom, who immediately reached for her sons as soon as Kid Danger set her down. Then the blond was back, reaching for Charlotte.

"Wait!" She spoke up quickly, gesturing to the father beside her. "I can go last, you should bring him up first. I don't want to split a family up longer than I have to." The sidekick blinked in surprise, seeming a little thrown off. Nonetheless, he grabbed the dad and moved him to the fifth floor as fast as he could (the man seemed to a little on the heavy side).

It was when Kid Danger was reaching down to rescue her that the elevator started lurching. The blond looked around, expression around his mask grim as he moved down towards her, hands out to grab her. "There isn't must time, come on!"

Charlotte only hesitated for a second before she dashed into the teen's strong arms and felt herself get lifted off the ground. And in the nick of time as well. The brunette gave a small scream as the elevator below them suddenly went smashing down, a sharp stab in her stomach as she heard the loud sound of the shaft hitting the first floor and crushing into itself. Hard.

She could only breathe heavily as she tried to contemplate the fact that, if Kid Danger hadn't moved as fast as he had, she would be dead. She would have been smashed completely. Then her parents would be upset, her best friend Jasper would have grieved for her and she would have never done all the things she wanted to do in life.

"Hey, miss. Hey!" Charlotte was startled out of her thoughts by a deep voice. She dazedly turned to see the steely amber-brown eyes of her blond hero. "Calm down, okay? What's your name?"

"Charlotte." She choked out while trying very hard to get her mind back in the right place. The teen holding her nodded, voice steady as he said, "Don't dwell too much on the 'what ifs', alright? You survived and that's all that matters. Focus on that, okay?" She nodded as she recognized the wisdom of the sidekick's words. Who better to advise on things like this then someone in the hero business, right?

She was startled once again by a loud beeping. Both she and Kid Danger looked down to see some device on his utility belt flashing. Grimacing, the boy held her tightly with one slightly muscled arm around her waist and grabbed the gadget with the other. With one tap, a miniature hologram of Captain Man appeared, looking grim but sporting a confident stance.

"Hey, kid. Looks like he got away again, but I managed to prevent him from getting the Rodex. How are things on your end?"

"Good. I saved everyone on the elevator. I'll meet up with you as soon as I'm sure all the victims are okay."

"Okay then. See you then." And then the hero was gone and Charlotte found the sidekick's attention back on her again. "I gotta go, so I'm going to have to drop you off with the others on the fifth floor. Are you going to be alright, uh, Charlotte?"

The girl nodded, still somewhat numb. She held tightly to the teen's shoulders as he pulled them both out, making sure her feet was on the ground first before he himself got out. After shooting a glance at the crushed elevator, he saluted the civilians he had just saved, "Don't worry, folks. We'll make sure nothing like this ever happens again. I promise." And then he took off, probably to find Captain Man.

Charlotte watched him go, unable to move for a few minutes. They were both on the elevator. Both of them could have been crushed, and yet the blonde was brushing it off and moving on to the next task his duties as a hero called for. How can he live like that? How can he, after all the dangerous things he goes through to save people and stop villains, still be rational and calm about it all?

It was a long while before Charlotte could move without feeling nauseous.

…

"Whoa, you almost got crushed in an elevator?! And you're telling me over the phone?!" Charlotte held the phone away from her ear as Jasper screamed at her. Not that she probably didn't deserve it, but she was too tired to be lectured for the second time today.

"Well, would you rather hear it from the news or from me over the phone?" The girl could almost hear her friend vehemently shaking his head in frustration. "I would rather you go to my house and tell me your near death experiences to my face! That way I can hug you and see for myself you're okay! I mean, come on, Charlotte, you can't do that to me!"

"I'm sorry, Jasper, really. After I came back from the mall, my mom went all protective custody on me. She won't let me out of her sight until school on Monday. You know how she gets." The aggravated sigh she heard on the other line told her that he got what she meant.

Her parents were the ultimate team concerning safety. She was required to take a bath three times a day (before school, immediately after school and just before she went to bed) and to take self-defense classes. Whenever she got so much as a paper cut, she was put on lock down until both her mom and dad deemed her fit. Very annoying, but she loved her parents too much to reject their overprotectiveness. It was how they loved.

"Anyway, I'm fine. Kid Danger got us all out before the elevator fell and I'll be at your house bright and early to give you all the gory details. Promise."

"You'd better," There was a few moments of silence where Charlotte could just _feel_ how much Jasper was trying to hold himself back. She sighed through her nose, knowing full well what was coming, "Go ahead and ask your questions, Jasper."

"So, how was Kid Danger? Is he really blond, like the news always shows? What does he smell like? How was he, distant and weird or overtly friendly? Did you see his hyper mobility in action? Did you get his autograph for me?!" Charlotte sighed as her friend raised inquiry after inquiry. Jasper was a die-hard Kid Danger fan. He followed any news concerning him religiously and always welcomed any information he could get on him.

"Okay, to answer, yes, not sure, uh, sorta distant but not really weird, he used it to open the elevator but I didn't actually get to see it and no, I was kinda still shocked from almost plummeting to my doom to ask for his signature on anything, you know?" She responded as normally as she could while her thoughts drifted back to her encounter with the boy in the mask. "He did give me some advice when I was panicking. He said, 'don't dwell too much on the 'what ifs'. I should be more focused on the fact I survived, you know? It really helped."

"Of course it did!" Jasper exclaimed, "Kid Danger helps everyone and is super smart. I bet he's saved everyone in town at least once."

The brunette shook her head with a smile as she listened to her friend shout the sidekick's praise. She didn't know if that was true, but she would agree that the blond had been a huge help in numerous situations that could have ended with many casualties and people in the hospital. Since he had been introduced three years ago, he and Captain Man had been an effective duo in stopping regular bad guys and super villains.

"Sooooo," Jasper's voice adopted a teasing tone, which set the alarms ringing in Charlotte's head, "what did _you_ think of Kid Danger? Was he as handsome as about every girl he rescues says he is?"

The girl groaned to herself. She should have known it was coming. After all, why focus on the fact that she could have died today when you could focus on whether or not Swellview's famous sidekick is truly dateable or not.

But, as her best friend continued probing her, she couldn't help the laugh that left her lips. It was nice to be in a normal setting after what she went through. And she sent out a silent thank you to the blonde hero for allowing her to have this chance again.

…

 **So, how was it? Would you like to see a second chapter or do you think it's a swing and a miss? Please let me know, I was a little worried about writing a story for this franchise and I want it to be worth it, seeing as I'll be spending some time updating my previous stories while trying to reign in my imagination. Please give me your honest reviews and feel free to follow or favorite.**

 **Also, to those who say this is like Elevator Kiss (an episode my brother told me about AFTER I wrote all this!), this is an AU and any similarities to the episode are a coincidence.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh, last chapter I said they were in tenth grade and sixteen, which was a mistake. In my story, they are actually almost fifteen and in ninth grade. Sorry, I was distracted. Anyway, this chapter will have more Henry and Charlotte scenes, so I hope you enjoy them. They won't be friends anytime soon, that's for sure. In other news, I have only one more semester before I receive my associate's degree, so please don't be too mad if I take too long to update or write stories. Trust me, I'm working as fast as I can to update all of them.**

 **Chapter 2. Detention Talks**

…

When the alarm from her phone rang, Charlotte's eyes fluttered opened as she fought to wake up then, lest she let the comfortable sheets and the current warmth she was feeling compel her back to Morpheus' arms. She could see it was still dark outside, with just a hint of daylight tinting the sky. She rolled over her bed to see the time on her clock.

 _6:30_

Well, at least she could say she had gotten about ten hours of sleep.

The girl groaned as she forced herself out of bed and to the bathroom to get herself ready for the school day ahead of her. When she was properly cleansed and dressed in a short black skirt with pant leggings and a white and blue striped shirt, she made her way downstairs, where her mom was waiting for her. Her dad didn't usually come back until after nine in the morning.

She could see a newspaper in her mom's hands as she moved past her to grab cereal and milk. It read, " **KID DANGER SAVES CIVILIANS. HACKER M STILL AT LARGE.** " And there, captured in black and white and good visual quality, was a picture of her and Kid Danger by the opening to the elevator and surrounded by the other five occupants on the front of the paper. It showcased them after he had gotten himself up after her. He had steadied her before he had addressed the other people and rushed off. And of course, some lowlife with a camera had to take a picture after a traumatized event because that's all that mattered, making money off of it.

Taking her seat and setting the essentials in order to have her cereal around her, Charlotte looked up at her mom, who was still completely engrossed in reading the paper. "Morning, mom. How are you?"

Her mom abruptly set down what she was reading, seemingly more than a little surprised to see her. "Oh, Charlotte. Morning, sweetheart. I'm sorry, I was just reading the article about your little incident yesterday."

"That's okay," The girl assured as she poured her bowl of cereal and took a bite, swallowing before she spoke again, "I'm sure a lot of people would be distracted by the story. I think it's the first time Hacker M actually threatened lives."

"Yes. It's seems that constantly evading arrest has encouraged him to take more drastic actions to get what he wants. All thanks to Captain Man and Kid Danger." Her mom huffed as she got up to obtain a cup of coffee.

"Wait, what?" Charlotte asked, confused on how her mom managed to draw that conclusion. "That's not true. Those two always chase after that guy. They saved me and five others from that guy. How are they to blame?"

"Charlotte, I will confer that they are useful from time to time, but they are also sloppy. Yesterday, they had the chance to stop him, and yet he got away again. It's probably only due to luck that they managed to stop him from getting the Rodex."

"Well, it's not like the police are doing a better job. In fact, I'm sure Captain Man and Kid Danger do a better job saving the day than the cops do." The girl declared passionately. It wasn't until her mother shot her an annoyed look that she remember her mom was a part of the police force. Shoot.

"I admit my coworkers are a bit lazy when it comes to responding to crime, but can you blame them? Just last week, Kid Danger got a cat down from a tree! Those two keep stepping in to put a stop to not only serious crimes, but petty ones as well. How the heck are people supposed to be willing to do their jobs when they're aware that superheroes are picking up the slack?! I mean, if the day comes where they can't save us, how will we be able to if they never let us?"

Charlotte could kinda see where her mom was coming from at that angle. She took her job very seriously and automatically detested anything and everything that got in the way of it. Captain Man and his sidekick were assets to Swellview, but in a way they also crippled it. They could be defeated or absent one day and then everyone in the city would be doomed. However, it was also unfair to be mad at them for being good at protecting people.

"It's just, Kid Danger saved my life. And I'm sure that's also true for numerous people here in Swellview too. I just think we should focus more on what they do accomplish right now rather than what will happen if they fail one day in the coming future. That's all." Her mom pursed her lips in displeasure but otherwise had nothing more to say, so the rest of breakfast was spent in complete silence.

…

When Charlotte finally arrived at Swellview High School, about twenty minutes before it was set to start, she made a beeline to Jasper's locker. He was already standing there, dressed in a black sweater and blue jeans. He was also constantly glancing at his watch before looking around, and then repeating the process all over again every few seconds. She quickly shuffled up to him while he was distracted, a natural smile appearing on her face. "Hey, Jasper."

The boy in question jumped abruptly, turning to face her immediately and face morphing into an expression that was half relieved and half annoyed. "Charlotte! You know I hate it when you jump scare me. And you said you'd meet me in my house, what's the deal?"

"Sorry," she apologized sincerely as she leaned against the lockers, "Had a fight with my mom. You know, the usual "Captain Man and Kid Danger make the police lazy" skit. I know I usually suffer those in silence, but I couldn't keep quiet this time. Not after what Kid Danger did for me."

Jasper accepted the explanation, turning to open his locker before he turned back to face her. "Saw you were front page. You didn't tell me you two had a moment. It was cute!" Charlotte could only groan, hoping that no one else would get the same impression.

Of course, that hope turned out to be in vain as more people started showing up to school and deliberately seek her out to question her about the rescue. Soon enough, she and Jasper were surrounded, a huge volley of questions being thrown at her from every turn.

"Yo, Charlotte, how was it being whisked from that elevator at the last second?"

"Did Kid Danger say anything? What was he like?"

"Oh, man I would kill to be in your shoes right now. How lucky are you to actually be face-to-face with Kid Danger! What was his touch like, what did he look like?"

Some of those inquiries seemed unnecessary, as just about everyone had seen Captain Man's sidekick on the news multiple times and could never recognize him as any regular person. Charlotte could help the annoyance that was growing in her stomach as more people commented on her luck. What exactly made almost dying with five strangers in one of the most terrifying ways "lucky"?

Jasper did his best to act as a buffer between her and the active and enthusiastic fans that were vying for just a word on what the blond sidekick was like up close. She barely made it to her first class as random students followed her inside, looking for a last minute scoop while they could, since school didn't start for another five minutes. This left the brunette girl to be bombarded almost endlessly.

"Come on, just one statement about whether he really has abs, please!" She could hear one voice yelled, the perpetrator a teenage boy in the back to her surprise. She supposed she shouldn't be shocked Kid Danger had guy fans as well.

Charlotte almost cheered when the bell rang, indicating it was time for supervised education to begin and all the other students to get away. The ones who had classes else reluctantly dragged themselves, including Jasper, while the students who had AP Biology with her moved to their seats just as the teacher, Miss Lynn, rushed into the room. She was wearing a yellow short-sleeved sundress and her black hair was in a high ponytail. She was pretty enough to be a model, so Charlotte never understood how someone so beautiful would choose to be a teacher. Although, her brain spoke for itself, it had still baffled her since the first day she started high school.

"Good morning, class. Welcome to the second week of ninth grade. Last week, we were doing a recap of what you covered in eighth grade concerning science, and now we can move on to what you will need to learn this year. But first, roll call. Say here when I call your name." She closed the door to the room and moved to her desk, bending over a big book lying wide open.

"Madison Ashl —" But suddenly, the door slammed open and a tall and slightly tan blond boy rushed into the room. His hair was messy, like he just rolled out of bed and his clothes, which was a red and white plaid shirt left open to showcase a black T-shirt and blue jeans, were rumpled but clean. Over his shoulder was a brown shoulder bag that had bits of paper spilling out of it and he hunched over, breathing heavily, like he had raced to school from wherever he lived.

"Uh, excuse me, young man. Can I help you?" Miss Lynn questioned politely as she stepped towards the boy. He stood up, still slightly panting as he answered in a rough voice, "I'm Henry Hart. I was transferred to your class. AP Biology, right?"

Charlotte started as he heard the guy speak. His deep and raspy voice made her shiver. And that name… it sounded so familiar. Like she had heard it somewhere before.

Pursing her lips, the teacher glanced once again at her book, flipping through it and scrolling through the page. She gave a small hum as she found what she was looking for. "Ah yes, your science teacher told me you would need a more advanced learning set. He failed to mention your amazing punctuality, however." There was a set of stifled laughter at the teacher's obvious disapproval towards the new pupil.

Turning to face the boy once again, Miss Lynn added, "A word of advice, Mr. Hart. Almost lateness is not a great way to make a first impression in my class. Now please take a seat." The blond took a moment to search the room before he opted for the seat one roll up and right from where Charlotte was sitting.

Now that he was up close, Charlotte could see he had profound dark circles around his eyes. His brown eyes met hers for a flash, in which she thought she had seen recognition in them, before he turned away and slumped into his seat, looking like he would much rather be back in his bed. She watched with curiosity as he pulled a notebook and pencil out of his bag and hunched over.

Following his example, the brunette got her own stationery out and got to work on writing notes and following the teacher. Although she couldn't stop herself from looking back at the almost latecomer, her mind racing. The fact that he was being transferred to the advanced science class spoke highly of his intelligence, but he seemed like the typical jock type. And _why_ did his name seem so familiar?

Pushing it out of her mind for the moment, the girl turned her attention back on the lesson for the day. Eventually, the forty-five minutes were done and the bell rang out once again. Miss Lynn smiled at them as they slowly got up. "Well, next week we'll be going over the categorization of the elements in the periodic table. Please study that and chapters 1-4 in your book. Have a good day."

Charlotte got up, head down as she made sure her notes were perfect. She was so distracted, it was no surprise she bumped into someone who had stepped to the front of the room at the same time she did. She crashed to the floor, dropping her book. As she bent down to pick it up with a sigh, she flinched back as she saw someone else had gotten to it first. She looked up to see the boy, Henry Hart, who was looking at her with a confused look at his face. Charlotte found herself immobilized by his amber-brown eyes now that she could really look at them.

"Uh, you okay?" He asked, voice still very much deep and crush-worthy. The brunette quickly shook her head as she reached out for her book.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks a…" Charlotte found herself trailing off as she noticed his right arm, the sleeve having come up in the confusion. First thing, it was muscled, like this kid regularly did Olympic-worthy exercise. Second, it was adorned with a large, black watch. Nothing out of the ordinary in that regard. No, what had Charlotte staring wide mouth at his inner arm was the huge scar that reached from his forearm and disappeared down his sleeve, so she wasn't sure where it ended.

It was jagged and looked as though it had once been deeper, perhaps a year ago, but had healed over a little. It was also black, and looked too sinister to have happened by accident. She couldn't help but dazedly wonder what knife could make a scar like that.

Suddenly, the sleeve was roughly pulled back up by a slightly tan hand. Charlotte looked up at the boy's face abruptly, blushing at having been caught staring. Henry was looking at her, face suddenly closed off and a stoic frown now on his face.

"Are you going to take the book or not?" Charlotte flinched again, this time at the hard edge that was in the blond boy's voice as he asked his question. Keeping her eyes down in shame, she quietly took the book back with a murmured "Thank you." The boy turned his back to her without another word, walking out of the classroom as quickly as he could.

…

Charlotte spent the rest of the hour lost in thought, though she did her best to pay close attention to her math and English teacher. Before she knew it, it was lunch hour and she was heading towards her standard lunch table with today's special of tuna salad with a side of meatballs. Sitting down a little roughly, Charlotte looked up to see Jasper was already seated at the table, digging in to the meatballs with a gusto that was a little worrying.

"Hey, Char." He greeted after he swallowed his food, a warm grin already on his face. It lessened as he saw her current state. "You okay? You seem… a little anxious."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, sorry." She took a bit of her salad to alleviate his worries. He stared at her for another minute before he shrugged and went back to his own food. They ate in silence, enjoying each other's company while staying in their own little bubble. It was times like these that they were reminded of how much they liked having the other as their best friend.

Swallowing the last of the tuna and playing around with the meatballs, Charlotte hesitantly inquired, "Hey, Jasper? Does the name 'Henry Hart' mean anything to you?"

Gulping down his milk, Jasper sat up and responded, "Yeah, actually. Why do you ask?"

"I just know I recognized that name from somewhere. He's in my AP Biology class, but I haven't really seen him after that." Then again, she had been too distracted to actually look around for the blond boy, especially after she had shamed herself by staring at his old injury.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's in all the advanced classes. He's supposed to be wicked smart, but he sticks to himself nowadays. You probably don't remember, but when the seventh grade was almost over, he bumped into Bobby Finn and —"

"Wait," Charlotte interrupted, suddenly realizing what her best friend was talking about. " _He_ was the guy who flipped Bobby?!"

That story had been an extravaganza extreme at the time. From what the student body had figured, the two boys had been walking the hallway when they had bumped into each other rather unexpectedly. It might have been a little rough, but nothing to cry over. Henry obviously had disagreed because he had reacted quite rashly. He had grabbed Bobby's arm, flipped him over his shoulder and to the floor face down and had smashed his foot to his back, pulling his arm back like the boy was restraining Bobby. He also almost pulled the appendage out of the socket.

Even more shockingly, after a moment, Henry had jerked back, looking significantly horrified and ten seconds from freaking out. He had rushed off while the teachers had tended to Bobby and the other students had spread the gossip around for everyone to hear. The janitor had eventually found the blond boy hiding in the bathroom, having a full-scale panic attack.

They kept him in the nurse's office, seeing as his dad had been on a business trip and his mom had been busy with Piper. However, he had been picked up about an hour later (by a brown-haired man in a red and grey, long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans that was listed as an emergency contact and also introduced himself as Henry's boss). After a thorough investigation from the teachers, Henry was suspended for three days.

When he came back, he had been different. Distant and brooding. Then summer had come and the eighth grade had started, and soon everyone forgotten about the infamous Booby flip. Only a few other students even remembered the name of the guy who did the actual flipping. Apparently, her friend was one of them.

"Did he try to start something with you?" Jasper asked aggressively, looking ready to get up and kick some blondie ass. Charlotte was quick to refute him. "No, no! I just noticed him in class. He was almost late today, and he looked like he slept in his clothes and didn't bother to brush his hair."

"Rumor has it that started in seventh grade too. The teachers used to send him to the counselor in case he was dealing in drugs. Whatever he's up to, as long as it doesn't bother us, it's none of our concern." He went back to finishing his milk, signaling the end of the conversation.

Charlotte nodded in agreement, but couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting to the scar she had seen on his arm. If what he was up to had lead to that, it couldn't be any good and was none of her business.

And besides, if that story was anything to go on, the blond kid was dangerous and unstable. I mean, who just hurts someone for bumping into you? What exactly did he think was happening, that he was being attacked? Really, all her common sense screamed at her to let this go and let the kid deal with whatever problems he may have on his own. So why did a part of her want to help him?

…

Charlotte knew theoretically that letting yourself be distracted in school could land someone in trouble. Maybe subconsciously she had hoped that since this was the first time she was really distracted, she wouldn't reap any consequences from it. Unfortunately, she had factored in her second to last class, home economics with Mr. Berkins.

The teacher straight up hated her, which was a first for her since all the teachers in Swellview Junior High had worshipped her brain as their lord. But since Mr. Berkins had laid eyes on her, he seemed to have labeled her a troublemaker and lived for those moments he can serve justice. Like now, when she arrived literally a minute late.

"Well, Miss. Bolton. Seems you're late. You know how much I tolerate lateness to my class." The white-skinned, red-haired man droned flatly as he stared down at her. Charlotte sighed as she dragged a hand through her hair in annoyance. "Look, I'm sorry, Mr. Berkins. I won't be late again, so may I please go to my seat now?"

"Not just yet," Then the man promptly ripped out a dentition slip and handed it to her, a barely-concealed smirk on his face at her dumbstruck face. "Now you can go to your seat."

Charlotte numbly took the slip and walked to her seat, unsure why things seem to be going so wrong for her today. Was it because she was rescued by Kid Danger or because of her interest in Henry Hart? Whatever was causing the bad karma, she could only hope she find an effective countermeasure, because she would not let every school day be like this!

…

When the last bell rang, Charlotte was up and out the door as fast as she could. She didn't want to be late again, even if it was to detention. When she got there, she could see Mr. Berkins was already there, talking with the teacher assigned to handle it, Mrs. Shen, the foreign language educator.

Throwing her a look, he rushed off after a quick goodbye to the teacher, who immediately turned to face her with a smile on her face. She had white hair and green eyes, skin brown as cocoa and wearing a black sweater with jeans.

"You must be Charlotte. Come inside, the other student is already present." The brunette obeyed, unsure who would be joining her but having a strong feeling she already knew who was in and wouldn't like it at all.

Sure enough, sitting in the back, head resting on crossed arms, was Henry Hart. His eyes flickered to her for a moment before he moved so his face was down. Guess he was taking a nap. She took a seat next to him, focusing on the teacher when she spoke again.

"Seeing as this is meant to be a punishment, I can't allow you to lay games or anything. However, I will let you do anything else as long as you're quiet and stay for the necessary hour. I will be back in a little while." Then Mrs. Shen was out of there, leaving the two students alone with each other.

For the first ten minutes, Charlotte didn't dare to even glance at blond boy next to her. Rather, she worked on a bit of her homework and did a bit of reading. Finally, when thirty minutes had passed, she couldn't help herself. She turned her head to take a quick look at the teen who had occupied her thoughts for most of the day, only to find his head was turned in her direction and he was staring at her as well.

Unable to help it, she gasped and jerked back, blushing quite intensely. A huge smirk appeared on the boy's face, prompting her anger. "You know it's not polite to stare." She snapped at the boy, who only snorted at her before he spoke again too, voice still very much deep and spine-chilling.

"I don't think you're one to be making comments about other people staring, girly." Henry answered back easily, undeterred by her frustration, it would seem. Somehow, that ruffled Charlotte the wrong way. "Okay, first of all, my name is Charlotte. Charlotte Bolton. And second, who are you to judge someone? Last I checked, I didn't beat someone up just for bumping into me."

"Yet you're the one bringing that up, so are you truly one to talk about not judging someone?" The kid said without hesitation, seeming unfazed at the memory of the infamous scene. Charlotte couldn't believe the nerve of the guy! He may be seriously hot, but he was a world-class jerk.

"Look, if this is about staring at your scar, I'm sorry for that, but you have no right to treat me this way. Contrary to what you might think, being nice to people has its own reward." The brunette said, feeling righteous and much like the bigger person. Henry made a point of rolling his eyes before he turned his head so he wasn't facing her. "Whatever you say, Bolton."

Refusing to stoop to the guy's level, Charlotte went back to her book, fuming on the inside at the blond boy's attitude. What an ass!

It was another ten minutes of silence before Charlotte was startled by a loud sound. It was an insistent beeping that would beep twice, then pause for a moment only to beep twice again. She turned to see Henry was sitting up, looking down at his watch with a impassive expression.

"Well, duty calls. This was fun and all, but it really wasn't. Bye," he said mockingly as he got up from his seat and put his bag over his shoulder. Charlotte could only watch him do so with blatant disbelief.

"You can't leave now! We still have less than twenty minutes of detention left!" She screamed as she watched the boy stick his head out the classroom door to check if the coast was clear. He snorted as he turned his attention back to her, "So, what's the worst that can happen? They'll give me extra detention? Tell my parents? Ha!" Henry sounded a little bitter as he spoke now, "Go back to your book, Bolton. I've got places to be."

And then he was out of the classroom, leaving Charlotte staring after him with her mouth hanging open.

…

 **So, do I get props for updating so quickly? Now, for those wondering why Henry's being such a dick, well I warned you he would be OOC! Don't worry, he's still very much how he is on the show, but I told you he deliberately alienates himself from people because of his job. Next chapter will feature a bit of Ray, so hopefully you guys will see how he is when he doesn't have to hide himself from another person. Until then, please review, follow and favorite. Feel free to tell me if this story needs any improvements or offer any suggestions.**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3. Decisions, Oh Decisions

 **A/N: Glad my readers seem to enjoy Henry's attitude as of right now, as well as Jasper's loyalty to Charlotte. I hope you can forgive me for seeming to drag my feet through updating my stories. Please understand, I'm very busy with school and I can't work on my fanfictions as much as I would like to. Have some patience, please. I promise, I will not abandon any of my stories.**

 **Also, I know I said I would work on my RWBY fanfic, Of Serendipity and Duties of the Huntsman, next, but I had some inspiration for this story when I was watching some Henry Danger episodes, so the two are being posted on the same day. Hope you like.**

…

When Ray had made it down to the Man Cave after checking things out above in Junk n' Stuff, he was almost surprised to see Henry was already there, working himself into a massive sweat and looking tired. Almost.

But the secret hero had a feeling his sidekick would resort back to training himself to the ground. He had noticed since the day before, when he had called the blond boy in to take care of a robbery at his favorite, how he was brooding to himself again. Ray hadn't brought it up, of course, because he knew the kid wasn't ready to talk about it. But now that the sidekick was here, a day later, he knew that was his subtle permission to bring up the subject.

This had been the routine since the boy was in the seventh grade, ever since his instincts had taken over when he ran into that kid. Henry had been beside himself then, unable to forgive himself and hysteric when the man had come to pick him up from school. So, within the three days he had been suspended, Ray had allowed him to wear himself out with training, allowing the kid to push himself as a way for him to process what happened in a healthy way and to seek penance by way of his aching muscles. And it had worked to bring him back from his pit of despair and self-loathing.

And now the blond sidekick considered the Man Cave his safe space, the place he can go to when he was wrestling the negative feelings he struggled with when having to hide who you are from just about everyone. From his family, and especially from any potential friends (not that Ray thought he was looking for friends, seeing he had decided to keep his distance since the aforementioned incident).

Sighing to himself, he moved forward to talk to the kid as he finished a set of pull ups and was about to work on his hyper mobility. "Hey, kid. When you'd get in?"

Henry turned to face him, standard smile on his face when he saw the only person he didn't have to hide from. "Hey, Ray. About half an hour ago. I would have let you know, but I figured you were actually working in the shop you own so I just got started. Hope that's okay."

It was more than okay, and they both knew it. But the bantering and pseudo courteously added a normality to their lives that couldn't be achieved anywhere else, seeing it was only in Junk n' Stuff everything concerning their lives was laid on the table. As superheroes, their lives outside the mask had to be concealed and vise versa.

Giving another sigh, Ray asked, "So what happened this time?"

"What makes you so sure something happened?"

"Well, let's see. You're training yourself to exhaustion and you have that same look you get when you're trying very hard not to think about something that makes you feel guilty. I'd list the other signs, but those are the two most obvious. So, what happened?" The superhero watched as the blond boy flopped over to the couch, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh.

"I saw a girl yesterday. She was one of the people I saved from the elevator, Charlotte Bolton. I don't know… I felt kinda drawn to her."

"So, you acted like a total jerk to get her as far away from you as possible and now you're punishing yourself even though your intentions are good. Not perfect, but good."

The kid nodded, still facing away from his boss. "She noticed my scar. I panicked a little and I just reacted, you know? She might have put two and two together or tried to look more into me. So, when we were in detention together, I made sure to send a clear message to stay away from me. And I think it worked."

He had watched her carefully in all the classes they had together (which was every one except Home Economics and Gym) and she had made a point of ignoring him whenever they were even breathing the same air. Even worse, her curly haired friend, whom used to be quite obsessed with buckets a few years back, glared at him as well. Seems she lamented about his treatment towards her.

"Kid, I know you and I know your heart is in the right place. But it really worries me that you must prefer keeping yourself on an island of complete isolation, especially when you have a chance to make friends."

Henry sighed as the two of them went over the same argument as they always did when things like this happened. "I told you, Ray. It's better for me to stay away from people. Bobby Finn taught me that."

"Come on, when are you going to cut yourself some slack concerning him?" Ray said exasperatedly, "You bumped into each other, you reacted and you haven't done anything like that since. And can you really blame yourself for that? With the life we lead, it's hard to go back and forth between the danger and the normal. Why do you think besides you and Shwozz, I have no other friends I ever real with? I'm just a joker with everyone else."

"And I'm a jerk with everyone but you because of the life we lead. Besides, if they aren't willing to look past the surface to see why I'm such an insufferable butt, then they aren't worth being friends with anyway. Either way, it doesn't matter. Charlotte probably out of my life and the matter is closed."

Ray stared at the blonde, pondering what to say next as he watched his protégé move on to the next workout. Before he could say anything else however, the alert sounded out throughout the Man Cave. Rushing to the computer, the superhero studied the notification flashing on his computer screen.

"Looks like there's a robbery in progress at the Swellview bakery. Ready for action, kid?"

"You know it."

Before long the two were suited up and shooting up the tube.

…

Charlotte was starting to wonder she had caught a heaping pound of bad luck from her high school. That was the only way she could explain how after finally starting the ninth grade, she found herself ending up in situations like this.

The brunette and her friend had made their way to the bakery after school as a way to comfort themselves. Charlotte had still been reeling and a little sad over her how last conversation with Henry had gone. And Jasper had suggested getting a cupcake, seeing as though she wouldn't let the boy confront the blonde. So now she was currently holed up in a closet of the bakery with her friend, wondering how a simple trip ended up being dangerous.

The two of them had been near the back, looking at a glorious display of cupcakes, when two men had show up, one holding a machete and another wielding a simple shotgun. They had ordered everyone, a total of seven people, including them, to the ground and to make their way to the back while they cleared out the shop of it's delicious treats and money. Jasper, in a rare burst of wisdom, had quietly stuck himself and Charlotte into the closet instead, and now they sat huddled in the back, hidden in the spacious room by the numerous brooms, mops and cleaning supplies. Someone would have to clear all of that to find them.

While they worked on not making any noise by moving or breathing too hard, Charlotte couldn't stop her thoughts from drifting back to Henry Hart, oddly enough. And that slightly infuriated her. This could be her final moment, and she was thinking about the hottie that was such a jerk to her.

But… at the same time, she couldn't stop wondering why. He had been pretty fine until she had spotted his scar. Perhaps she had made him too self-conscious or had even offended him by the blatant staring. After all, he had it hidden before, probably to stop nosy people like her from looking into it.

And that scar had been pretty gruesome, like something you find on a trauma victim or something. The brunette couldn't help but ponder how exactly he had gotten it. Did it himself in a cooking accident? Or perhaps… not an accident? Was he in a mugging gone run? Held hostage by a robber with a knife? Hurt by someone he's close to? Was he being abused?

The more she thought about it, the more curious she was. And the more she felt she couldn't leave things the way she had with the blond. After all, she had been pretty defensive and judging too. There had to be a reason why he looked so disheveled, why he looked so tired. Even why he had flipped Bobby the way he had. After all, the panicked reaction had shown he really hadn't meant to. So what was his state of mind when he had? And who was the one causing him to be this way now?

Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard the sound of the door outside bursting open, probably the front entrance by the sound of it. "Put the crème-filled scones down, villain!" She heard a loud and heroic voice call out. Could that be..?

"Captain Man!" One of the robbers exclaimed, sounding completely frightened, although desperately trying to hide it under weak bravado. "How the heck did you get here so fast?"

"I have eyes everywhere, criminal. Now, hands where I can see them?" Charlotte could see Jasper relaxing beside her, obvious relief emitting from him now that the resident superhero was here to save them. She, however, couldn't follow his calmness. After all, there were two robbers, along with the five hostages huddled in front of their door. And, she didn't hear any mention of Kid Danger, so Captain Man was out there, by himself, taking on those odds. Didn't sound too promising.

But, while the banter was loud, she could also pick a distinct whooshing sound, as well as a few quiet gasps behind their door, where the hostages should be. She wondered what was happening.

Then, a little while later, she could hear rattling happening above them. The two friends looked up to see a vent, probably for heat, where the sound of someone coming down it could be heard. The two held their breaths when they saw the silhouette of a head coming out of there. Was it the robber? His accomplice? Some new villain here to kill them. Then, they heard:

"Are you two okay?" That got her attention. She knew that voice.

The two of them watched in wondering awe as the blond sidekick, Kid Danger, jumped down to stand in front of them. He had a mini flashlight shining up to illuminate the room.

"Kid Danger!" Jasper yelled out, prompting both the blond and his brunette friend to shush him. Charlotte couldn't quite believe she was once again being saved from certain peril by the same guy. She hoped this wouldn't become a regular thing.

"Don't worry, you two. Captain Man and I are-" But then Kid Danger did a double take as he saw her, pure surprise in his eyes. "Charlotte Bolton?"

That got a blink out of her, momentarily forgetting their current situation. "You remember me?"

He was silent, watching her in quiet speculation. Like seeing her was the last thing he ever expected.

There were many things going through the girl's head as the sidekick looked at her. One, how the hell does he remember her name? Two, what a loser damsel he must think she is, having to save her butt yet again! Three, what the heck was he doing here, while Captain Man was fighting the robbers and protecting hostages on his own?

Actually, that last one was important. "What are you doing here? Doesn't Captain Man need your help?", she hissed quietly, anxiety and confusing making her sound harsh. Kid Danger blinked blankly at that, before understanding appeared in his eyes. "I am. I'm clearing the place of hostages while Captain Man distracts those two. You really this he'd be bantering so much if there weren't people in danger?"

That caused the girl to pause. That did make sense, seeing as how generally the duo take down the guys as quickly as they can, with maybe a quick one-liner. This time, the hero was really hamming it up.

"Besides, Captain Man is indestructible. He'll be fine for now. Now come on you two, you have to get out now." Once the two friends were standing and ready to leave, Kid Danger boosted Jasper up to the vent, allowing the boy to crawl through the duct and outside to freedom. When Kid Danger turned to her, Charlotte couldn't help but voice something that was nagging her. "What about you?"

Another blink from Kid Danger. "What about me?"

"Are you indestructible?"

"Well, no. But I have experience, training and my hyper mobility. I'll be fine, Charlotte, don't worry." The girl had no choice but to take the sidekick's word for it, letting herself be boosted and heading through the duct after Jasper.

"Good luck." She called out as loudly as she dared, continuing on before she could hear any kind of response. As she made her way outside, she couldn't shake the feeling that he was familiar somehow. So familiar.

...

The minute she and Jasper walked into Miss. Lynn's class, they were bombarded by students and questions about the bakery incident. Jasper could barely get away to make to his first period class. The girl managed to get to her seat before the bell rang, a little surprised to see a certain blond wasn't at his desk. Then again, he was late yesterday and the day before, so it was probably norm for him.

Seeing it just reminded her of her thought process before they were saved by Kid Danger. Perhaps there was a reason he was so standoffish and cold. But what could it-

Just then, Miss. Lynn arrived, visibly happy to see most of the people were in their seats, although frowning at Henry's empty desk. "Good morning, class."

Then just as the bell was ringing, Henry rapidly walked through the door, just barely on time. The teacher turned to address him, "Well, Mr. Hart. Glad you're finally-" Then she stop, looking largely concerned. "Mr. Hart, what happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just bumped into something, thanks for asking." Then the boy turned to face his classmates, causing everyone, including Charlotte, to gasp. Because Henry was sporting a rather gruesome-looking black eye.

...

 **So, here's chapter three. What do you think? Be sure to check out Of Serendipity and Duties of the Huntsmen for their chapter 3.**


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